What is your greatest fear?
That I would survive a tsunami or an earthquake or a plane crash that would take my family. That I will lose my humanity, my humility, my ability to empathize and my sense of humour in one fell swoop.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Prize winner. I know some people would disagree, but I do admire Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Perfectionism and thin skin.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
My churidars falling down in the UN General Assembly Hall when I was with a group of people - not my most elegant moment!
What is your most treasured possession?
My two kids - they are like jewels but they are only in my trust for a while. Also my grandmother's heavy silver paayals given to me when I got married.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
It would be a cross between Kate Winslet and Rani Mukherjee.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I would love to have long tapering fingers.
If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?
The dodo bird.
What do you owe your parents?
My basic values, my lack of self-consciousness, my love of the arts, my political nose, my openness to other cultures, my rejection of absolutism, my enthusiasm for entertaining others and enjoying myself.
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Whoopi Goldberg, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joan of Arc, Virginia Woolf, Sarojini Naidu, Sarala Ray (my great-gandmother), Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Jawaharlal Nehru, Akira Kurosawa, Dag Hammarskold, Mike Meyers (of the shagadelic fame). And some of my friends!
What is the closest you've come to death?
Every time I take a taxi at night in Kathmandu!! I have been lucky not to have had any closer brushes with death.
